Tourism

The entrance to the city of Qiddiya, south of the capital Riyadh, April 25, 2019.

Analysis

Iran war tests Gulf's theme park ambitions

Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with multibillion-dollar projects as the conflict disrupts regional tourism and exposes weaknesses in the Gulf states' entertainment strategies.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

The 26-feet-tall statues of the ancient Egyptian King Amenhotep III (1391-53 BC), father of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) and probably grandfather of Tutankhamun, and his consort queen, Tiye, at the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, Cairo, June 11, 2025.

Culture

Beyond King Tut: Cairo’s Egyptian Museum looks to reinvent itself

With Cairo's Egyptian Museum approaching its 125th anniversary, efforts are underway to reposition it on the cultural map in light of competition from newer, glitzier museums.

Building construction at the Red Sea in Egypt.

Explainer

UAE-Egypt ties keep growing as Cairo navigates shifting Gulf landscape

An Emirati investor could soon strike a $2.7 billion deal to develop another tourism project on Egypt's North Coast, the latest in a string of UAE-linked pacts that have continued advancing despite turmoil from the US-Iran war.

Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, gives a press conference in the Saqqara necropolis, where archaeologists unearthed two human and animal embalming workshops as well as two tombs, south of Cairo, on May 27, 2023.

Culture

Saqqara’s next chapter: How Egypt is modernizing its oldest necropolis

Egypt has launched a major project to develop access to the Saqqara archaeological sites, which — according to archeologists — hold some of Egypt’s most important ancient sites spanning across multiple civilizations.

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi airlines outbuy Gulf rivals at Farnborough air show: What to know

Spectators look on as an A350-1000 by the European plane maker Airbus takes off on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Farnborough, July 21, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival

Tourism students and visitors visit the ruins of the ancient city of Apamea in the Hama countryside, Syria, on July 8, 2026.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

Israel-Iran escalation grounds flights across parts of Middle East

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jaunary 12, 2017. - The aircraft arrived as part of an order for 100 other Airbus planes with a list price of around $20 billion (19 billion euros) on December 22, placed after the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic. It will be used for internal flights landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. (Photo by ATTA

An image of the Cairo citadel, 1858-1890.

Documentaries explore Cairo’s old neighborhoods, alleyways

An Egyptian archaeologist has launched an initiative to shed light on Cairo’s heritage by filming short documentaries about the various alleys and streets in the capital.

"enjoyed — i'm vaccinated" face mask

Turkish vaccinated tourism video provokes anger

Foreign tourists are exempt from Turkey's coronavirus lockdown, and hospitality workers were given priority in receiving the vaccine.

Metrojet official discusses 2015 crash

Egypt, Russia agree to resume flights to Red Sea resorts

Russia suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after the Islamic State brought down a Russian airline over the Sinai peninsula.

A sign reads "Social distance 1.5m" next to the pool of a hotel on June 19, 2020, at Lara district in Antalya, a popular holiday resort in southern Turkey. The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit Turkey's tourism industry, the backbone of the country's economy.

Turkey’s tourism sector fears another disastrous year

Apprehension is growing in Turkey that its tourism sector, a vital hard-currency earner, might fail to recuperate in 2021 amid a new peak in the coronavirus pandemic.

In this handout picture released by the Turkish presidential press office, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and invited guests attend Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during the building's first official prayers after being reconverted into a mosque on July 24, 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Erdogan is MENA’s most popular leader, Arab Barometer finds

Turkey's promotion of cultural heritage, including through its tourism and entertainment sectors, is one reason for Erdogan's popularity. However, the perception of the Ottoman legacy is gradually shifting from one of praise to one of condemnation toward Turkish policies.

People are pictured inside a restaurant in Dubai, as the Gulf emirate moved to ease its lockdown measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, United Arab Emirates , May 26, 2020.

Dubai restaurants to stop screening dining areas during Ramadan fast

Restaurants in the UAE's largest city previously had to screen off places where people ate during fasting hours during the Islamic holy month, as is customary throughout the region.

United Arab Emirates

A picture taken on April 16, 2017, shows a general view of the Monastery of St. Catherine in Egypt's South Sinai.

Ancient South Sinai city of Saint Catherine to get facelift

Egypt has begun implementing the first phase of a project to develop the city of Saint Catherine in South Sinai and promote tourism in the area.

This picture taken on Jan. 16, 2020, shows an EgyptAir Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jet parked on the tarmac at Cairo International Airport outside the Egyptian capital.

EgyptAir seeks additional flights to Tel Aviv

Israeli media outlets hailed EgyptAir’s decision to operate and increase the number of flights to Tel Aviv as a sign of a boost in Israel-Egypt ties.

A picture taken from the Mount of Olives on Jan. 20, 2018, shows a Muslim tourist viewing Jerusalem's Old City and the Dome of the Rock.

Israel prepares for wave of Muslim tourists

With the signing of the Abraham Accords and the opening of Emirati, Bahraini and Moroccan diplomatic missions, Israel is now preparing for an unprecedented wave of Muslim tourists.

An Iraqi Airways Boeing 747 cargo aircraft is pictured on the tarmac of Baghdad's international airport following its reopening on July 23, 2020, after a closure since March forced by the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly COVID-19 illness in Iraq. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq gives visa on arrival to citizens of 30 countries

The list includes the United States, China and other large economies in a bid to attract investment to Iraq; most foreigners need to apply for a visa before traveling to Iraq.

Israeli air carrier requests to fly to Sharm el-Sheikh

In another sign of warming relations, Israel's Israir Airlines Ltd. wants to operate flights from Tel Aviv and Haifa to the Sinai Sharm el-Sheikh resort town.

TOPSHOT - This picture shows a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner of the Etihad airline during take-off on September 24, 2019 at the airport in Duesseldorf, western Germany. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

Etihad flying with fully vaccinated crews

The Abu Dhabi-based airline was the first in the world to vaccinate all of its pilots and cabin crew against the coronavirus.